*snort*

I was just working on an article and reading some comments on another blog about ROTHs and it cracked me up that the concensus is you have to be dirt poor to be in the 15% tax bracket.

Well call me dirt poor then.

Actually I think we are good for about $100k in wages easy before we have to start worrying about the next tax bracket. But you know. I don't know. I can't blame people for not understanding the system. IT's complicated. I feel blessed more and more every day that I am in the tax field so I can make some sense of the mess, but even so it seems to make less sense with time.

Bah.

OF course usually when I tell people I Am in the 15% bracket they assume I am doing some tax tricks, voodoo, tax loopholes. I think people particularly around here would be surprised how many of them are themselves in the 15% bracket and just don't know it.

My voodoo and tricks is simply a mortgage and a couple of kids. Oh yeah, private health insurance sure knocks a chunk off our tax bill too. I wouldn't exactly recommend any of these strategies to save a few bucks in taxes though. $200k mortgage, $700/month just to insure a healthy family, raising 2 kids isn't exactly a cheap endeavor. But I have always felt blessed with our timing as having kids and living on one-income coincided with some pretty heavy tax breaks to help us along. Part of the reason I really wanted to get our financial act together with the 1-income thing is I knew this gravy train would not last forever. I imagine right around when our IRAs get maxed out that we will have to start shifting a big chunk over to incomes taxes. Something has got to give. In the meantime with the Bush tax cuts and a couple of kids, I get to keep 90% of my paycheck. If dh got a job maybe we'd keep 15% - after payroll taxes and all - even if he pushed us to about six figures. That is pretty sweet. Yeah this certainly won't last forever. I kind of dread getting back to reality. Then again I have always said I would rather pay more taxes now then pay the price later. Which is where the dread comes in. GEtting accustomed to insanely low income taxes while knowing in my gut that taxes will have to significantly rise one of these days to pay off the deficit, to balance the budget, etc.

I think it's more common out here with bigger mortgages. My mortgage & property taxes is a $15k write-off right there, for now. $5k or so health insurance, some state income taxes (higher in Cali as well though I certainly don't pay much), and then all the exemptions and kiddie tax credits, and so it goes. But a lot of the income tax rates and stuff revert back to old law in 2010 and I am just trying brace myself.

In the meantime I watch Suze and people who make a good $20k more are often taking home as much or less than I. I have to keep reminding myself that this will not last. I honestly am not even sure if it will be worth dh working down the road if he has to fork over HALF of his income to the government in taxes (when the marriage penalty returns and such). Eh. I guess time will tell...

In the meantime I do have a few single, childless clients who rent, and man, they pay the tax man big time... Taxes are fickle.

Anyway, I am going to work today and hoping to break out around noon. I was there until 7pm last night doing work for other people who are on vacation this week. I would turn the tides but they'll still be out next week too and no one else can do my work, I am just that good I guess. LOL. But I missed aerobics because of it - not sure if it is even worth going tomorrow... I still have 4 prepaid classes - should just hit it hard when I get back probably.

Anyway, one of my tasks today is to straighten out a huge mess so I may have to work until 7pm - LOL. But we'll see.

BM gets a free day at preschool today since his regular day fell on a holiday. They are nice like that, and if I can escape work will be good to have more freedom to do some housework.

My expectations of all I want to get done before the trip are diminishing greatly. We will have 4 family members staying here. The plus - and huge pluses - is not dragging the kids way out of the way and down to their house. HUGE plus. & not having to make pet-sitting arrangements and pack up the kids and all that stuff, or worry about security, etc. Many many many pluses. The downside is I really wanted to clean up the house with 4 people staying here. Today I would be embarrased so I have a ways to go. About all I got through last week was mopping the floors, which is something I never do BTW. I do so much spot cleaning with kids and pet, you know how it goes. Oh but the truth is I will think, I need to mop the floors. But first I have to mop the counters, vacuum, etc., and by then I am exhausted and NEVER mop the floors. So last weekend all I did was mop the floors. For whatever reason it was a huge chore (well it came with lots of vacuuming - can't avoid that first). & that is about my progress. Dh is to clear the kitchen today so I can scrub it when I get home (& re-vacuum) - that and the downstairs bath which is pretty clean anyway as we have had lots of guests lately. The living room and dining room will remain a dumping ground for all things freecycle/goodwill/ebay. No progress and no time! They'll just have to survive. I figures maybe tomorrow I could clean up the upstairs baths (some heavier scrubbing) and then Sunday would be left for shopping and packing.

Doable.

I will really need a vacation by the time it arrives.

But yeah, grandma, great-grandma, grandma's twin sister and also grandpa will be here. The kids will be spoiled and probably not miss us much. LEaving BM is really no biggie at this point, but LM is still pretty little overall - harder to leave him for a whole week. The most we have left them is 2 nights!!!! But I know he'll be fine all the same... We will miss them terribly I am sure. But I think we will enjoy plenty all the same.